Film club – 3

A few weeks ago I went to dinner with a few friends and then to the cinema. We went for food at Stockholm Tapas, which I highly recommend for their drinkable house wine (that never happens) and delicious mini-dishes. We got a bunch of things to share between six, and I was pleasantly suprised it wasn’t just different Spanish dishes, but world wide ones. The seaweed salad, seared scallops and Västerbotten pie were probably my favorites, but it was all very delicious. I have to go back again to try their liqorice crème brûlée, as we ran out of time for dessert and that is the combination of two of my favorite things. I can only imagine the magicalness of actually tasting it. Expectations are high people!

Boyhood

I have been dying to see Boyhood by Richard Linklater, ever since hearing about it online a while back. I thought the concept of this film was so good I didn’t even watch the whole trailer or read much about it, I wanted to go in with open eyes. For those who have missed this, the film follows Mason Jr.’s (Ellar Coltrane) life from the age of 6 to 18, especially focusing on the relationship between him and his single mom (Patricia Arquette) and her relationships, and between him and his dead-beat dad (Ethan Hawke). The incredible thing is that this was actually filmed over 12 years using the same actors for the reoccuring parts, such as of family members.

I was very pleased to find my friends also wanted to see it and happily booked us tickets. Only afterwards did we realise that this film is 2 hours and, wait for it, 45 minutes long. I know a few people who are dry heaving at the mere thought of sitting through that long a film (you know who you are) but we decided that we would go for it anyway. We made sure to have a couple glasses of wine before hand, and a pee-break evacutaion plan. Somehow though we all made it through the entire film with no snacks (queues were too long), no breaks, and noone falling asleep! I think that speaks for how this film works. It pulls you in and you forget about yourself for a bit, and just follow Mason Jr. as he grows up.

Scenes From The Suburbs

Zoe Graham and Sam Dillion starred in Boyhood but also both appeared in an earlier short film made by Spike Jonze for Arcade Fire’s 2010 album The suburbs. I hadn’t heard about this film, but enjoyed the album and thought it looked interesting. It was a collaboration between Jonze and Arcade Fire inspired by the music from the album and has recieved some good reviews. It appears to be about coming of age in the suburbs, a classic theme for anyone still secretly harbouring a teenager inside.

As it is only 30 minutes there isn’t really excuse that I haven’t seen it yet, but I tend to wait when I think something may be worth watching properly. I must confess, I haven’t seen The Grand Budapest Hotel yet. Shameful for any Wes fan, it’s embarassing really! But I’m saving that too, for when I can focus, take it all in and really appreciate it. Now Scenes From The Suburbs is unlikely to live up to Wes Anderson standards (I imagine I would have heard of it at least) but a film that I have no real expectations or knowledge of can be a nice reward on a rainy day. Let’s hope it rains today!